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Recent Articles about Greece / Turkey / Cyprus Imperialism / War

Ελληνική εξω ... Dec 31 16 by Μολότ

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Παρέμβαση στ ... Nov 08 16 by Αναρχική Ομοσπονδία

Homecoming to Nostalgia: The Inauguration of Donald J. Trump

category greece / turkey / cyprus | imperialism / war | non-anarchist press author Wednesday January 25, 2017 17:49author by Cyrus Bina - The Bullet Report this post to the editors

“In a time of universal deceit,
Telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
— George Orwell

When the entire arsenal of impulsive and aggressive foreign policy is deployed in absolute desperation and without accomplishment by a declining power unaware of its imminent demise, first it resorts to self-aggrandizement and spectacle, and then suddenly and viciously turns on itself through self-flagellation and serious self-mutilation. This is a classic pretext that trumps the assorted reasons for the demise of Hillary Clinton and thus the bafflement of the U.S. political establishment and its coattail in the established media. This should concisely spell out the meteoric rise of Donald Trump, his populism, and his success in leasing the plush real estate at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. To be sure, “We make America great again” is the alter ego of America's demise since the collapse of the Pax Americana (1945-1979). Recognition of this very transformation is in itself a radical act.

The moment of truth has finally arrived. The slogan of “Make America Great Again” is now at the center stage. The members of the wrecking crew in Donald Trump's proposed cabinet are now waiting for their Senate confirmation to get to work. Donald J. Trump is now the president of the United States. And all three branches of government are in the hands of one party – a party that since Reagan's presidency has seemingly been reduced to an apologetic bunch in retrograde politics suspended in history. The party that once took pride in being the party of Lincoln is simply taken over by a known-unknown outsider; George Soros went on to call him an “imposter.” Trump's message though has been consistently the same: “Make America Great Again.” This “Again,” at the same time, conveys an acknowledgement of the glorious past, not-so-glorious present, and the possibility time-travel presumably to the pre-Civil Rights’ period on the domestic side and hegemony, leadership and respect (i.e., the era of Pax Americana) on the foreign policy side.

Turning Back the Clock


Contrary to the conventional wisdom and despite his rhetoric, Donald Trump's presidency does not seem to correspond with American isolationism. Trump's vision is rather more in tune with the reversal of time that supposedly transports America to the 1950s, an era in which a Junior Senator from Wisconsin's witch hunts were in full swing. And a foreign policy that unilaterally engaged in coup after coup against democratically elected governments abroad with little cost – known as America's Golden Age – under the umbrella of the now defunct, Pax Americana. Under the Trump administration, some even are horrified – for a good reason – by an idea that he may take us all the way back to the pre-Civil War period in race, gender, and social relations. The irony here suggests parallels with George Orwell's 1984 in 2017 America.

The other party is not so innocent either. Democrats did not only tolerate the notorious war crimes by the Bush-Cheney administration in Iraq and Afghanistan; they nonetheless come in full circle with their own bloody misadventures in Libya, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, to name a few, while they did some good with respect to Cuba and Iran. Overall, though, the Obama administration inherited and thus contributed to what the Bush-Cheney administration has wrought as a paranoiac state/surveillance state in America. On the foreign policy front, particularly in Libya (and the bloody overthrow of Col. Gaddafi), Hillary Clinton's hand is bloody. On the toppling of the Libyan government and the murder of Gaddafi, Secretary Clinton bragged: “We came, we saw, he died.” The catch here is that the Obama administration had already promised the Russians at the UN Security Council that if they agreed to vote for the “no fly zone” in Libya (or abstain), it would refrain from overthrowing Gaddafi. With Clinton's Julius Caesar-like enthusiasm, the Obama administration broke its promise. As is well known, President Obama also recently expressed his regrets for the involvement in Libya.

As for the pointless involvement in the coup, against Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine, the share of Secretary Clinton (via Victoria Nuland's direct involvement) is not miniscule either. Again, as is well documented, this initial step eventually led to the ouster of Yanukovych and the chaos that brought the ultra-right takeover of the government through the infamous referendum in Crimea, which then paved the way for the Russian invasion.

Deep Divide


Clinton Democrats utterly miscalculated the outcome of the election by betting on the wrong horse. They ignored the fact that the country (both the left and the right) is gasping for change by any means necessary. Clinton Democrats ignored the deep cleavage in income inequality combined with profound political polarization. They arrogantly resorted to the habitual course of action by attacking Sen. Bernie Sanders – a seemingly viable candidate that might have defeated Donald Trump if he had not been subjected to unfair, immoral, and indeed illegal shenanigans in the primaries. Thanks to WikiLeaks for revealing these very true heart-wrenching stories perpetrated by the Clinton camp and the Democratic Party that is presently on the teeter of disintegration. That is why those who care about the truth – and cause-and-effect in this matter – believe that Democrats’ cruel pomposity and crude self-assurance tossed their viable candidate under the proverbial bus. In the end, the “basket of deplorables” statement by frustrated Hillary was the one that finally broke the camel's back.

The inauguration of Donald J. Trump is over and he is officially the 45th president of the United States. The factors that have led to his seemingly successful campaign toward his presidency are numerous, varied, and multidimensional, and historians will debate them for years and decades to come. Nevertheless, it is clear that the specter of change is in the air and that the sizable majorities on the right and on the left are challenging the status quo. The Pax Americana had collapsed in the late 1970s, but after-effects of its fall are still around with respect to both domestic and foreign arenas. The fact is that there is no hint of American exceptionalism in all this. The changes that transpired in the last few decades have taken us beyond the Pax Americana and beyond American exceptionalism. The United States is now as ordinary as any other nation in the new global polity in the making.

On the foreign policy side, the United States is not what it used to be, yet the forces of regression, and reaction, are insisting on being “Great Again.” On the domestic side, the fissure of deep economic inequality, political polarization, pernicious politics, blatant racism and “white supremacy,” bashing women, Islamophobia, and other social ailments are now overtly pronounced. This election has torn the veil of political correctness and peeled off nearly all opacities that are gingerly left underneath race relations in America. Donald Trump is the sui generis messenger and now, as president, the message of divided America. And in this manner, the whole nation is naked before our eyes. This nation (and by implication the U.S. government) is not exceptional; it is not pre-ordained for hegemony; it is not predisposed for the leadership of global polity in the making. There is a limit to what the United States can or cannot do with respect to domestic as well as foreign policy.

Therefore, “making America great again” is inevitably subject to such boundaries. The United States is a declining power and the election of Donald Trump is a hint of such a decline in both domestic and foreign affairs. We are just beginning to grapple with the after-effects of the loss of the American century and the painful consequence of the denial of the fall of the Pax Americana since the 1980s. On the foreign policy side, the setbacks have so far been unequivocal. It may take some time to digest the truth of the shrinkage of the middle class and the disguised class warfare in the form of overt racism, sexism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and other forms of prejudice and bigotry in the name of nationalism and patriotism. We need to fasten our proverbial seatbelts for a long, rough, turbulent, yet indefatigable ride on, in Robert Frost's apt vision, “the road not taken” in these unflattering and uncertain times.

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Employees at the Zarfati Garage in Mishur Adumim vote to strike on July 22, 2014. (Photo courtesy of Ma’an workers union)

Greece / Turkey / Cyprus | Imperialism / War | en

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jarablus.png imageTurkey-FSA Take Jarablus From IS Without Fight 03:30 Thu 25 Aug by Kurdish Question 1 comments

Turkish troops and so-called 'moderate Islamist' Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants have entered Jarablus town centre and taken over all government buildings from Islamic State. Reports say almost no clashes took place between the two sides as IS militants had evacuated the city days before. Footage from FSA militants also shows that there is no civilian presence left in the city in Syria's north.

ypg_support_poster_by_party9999999d8kih0n.png imageYPG: We have no connection to the Ankara bombing. Turkey prepares the ground to attack Rojava 06:57 Fri 19 Feb by Kurdishquestion.com 2 comments

The General Command of the People's Defence Units (YPG) has released a statement in response to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu who blamed the YPG for yesterday's attack in the heart of Turkish capital Ankara which left 28 people dead and 64 others wounded.

174555_600.jpg imagePeople in Diyarbakir protest Merkel visit in Turkey 21:34 Tue 09 Feb by Mesopotamian Ecology Movement 0 comments

Today (8.2.2016) a group has gathered in the Sümerpark area in the city of Diyarbakir in order to protest the German chancellor Mrs. Angela Merkel who is visiting Turkey. The protestors criticized Merkel for her double faced policy on the refugee crisis and particularly the deal of the EU with Turkey.

tacanka_ankara.jpg imageWe know those responsible for the Ankara bombing 20:04 Wed 14 Oct by Various 0 comments

They painted our red and black flags and banners with blood and flesh of our comrades. Those responsible for the massacre are out there. We know them from Haymarket, Bloody Sunday, Mayday 1977 Istanbul Massacre, Reyhanli, Gezi Uprising, Roboski Massacre, Diyarbakir Dungeons and Suruç. We know them from the daily exploitation of a thousand year. They stand before us merciless, smirking.

Although it has been orchestrated by the hands of ISIS gang, we know that, just like the Suruç Massacre, state and AKP who is holding state power in their hands are those who are in fact responsible for this massacre. We have seen once again that AKP is capable of doing everything not to lose the power and weaker it gets, more brutal it will get.

Below are two further statements from anarchists groups in the Turkish state on the Ankara bombing.

11760166_1645652792317271_2694342465056829967_n.jpg imageOur Sadness Will Be Our Anger, Kobanê Will Reconstructure 00:33 Wed 22 Jul by Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet 0 comments

Yesterday, nearly three hundred people set off from different cities, with the call of Federation of Socialist Youth Associations; in order to rebuilt Kobanê, which was tried to be looted by the ISIS. Today, arriving Suruç (Pîrsus), just before leaving for Kobane, these young people made a press release in front of the Amara Culture Center in Suruç (Pîrsus). At the end of the press release, a bomb exploding in the middle of the crowd, silenced many hearts which had been beating with the hope of reconstruction.

uluderekatliami_1.jpg imageDevrimci Anarsist Faaliyet's on the Turkish State's Massacre in Sirnak 23:50 Sat 31 Dec by Devrimci Anarsist Faaliyet (DAF) 0 comments

There were no cold barrel behind them, it was not an avalanche that would fall from the mountains. They were running away from the fear of imprisonment, from genderme who has just stopped them, that was not snow that would pour down from the sky, it was bombs of F16s. There were no time to reach a ridge for shelter, F16s were much more faster then them and they sheltered behind the first rocks that they saw…

uluderekatliami.jpg imageDeclaration for the Turkish state's massacre in Kurdistan 19:07 Sat 31 Dec by Lise Anarsist Faaliyet (LAF) 0 comments

35 people were murdered (whose ages between 16-18) with the bombings of turkish state.

text4 year sentence given to Tarhan 09:10 Sat 05 Nov by War Resisters Association 0 comments

Conscientous/Total Objector Mehmet Tarhan’s Demands Granted. Tarhan ended hunger strike on day 34 (in 3 Noevmber 2005).

textOn the explosions in London 07:10 Thu 21 Jul by OAE (OADE) - Greece 0 comments

Statement of Federation of Anarchists of Greece (OAE) on the terrorist attacks in London, agreed in its 8th General Assemply.

textTarhan hunger strike ended 11:07 Thu 23 Jun by War Resisters' International 0 comments

From Athens Indymedia

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textErdogan policies have played a major role in the Region Jul 14 by Zaher Baher 0 comments

This article covers the policy of Erdogan and his political party (AKP) in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Rojava and Iraqi Kurdistan. The article shows the reasons as to why Erdogan supports Isis, the reason for invading Mosul and why Kobane has been chosen to be invaded but not Jazeera? The article also states the success of Erdogan polices during the war in the region since 2013 and predicting his peace policy in the future can be on the expenses of Rojava's Cantons.

imageThe Massacre of Kurds in Sirnak: Turkish State Terror in Action Jan 03 by José Antonio Gutiérrez D. 1 comments

This unjustifiable carnage has again exposed the true face of state terrorism in Turkey. This slaughter exposes the hypocrisy of Erdogan, whose regime has its hands soaked in Kurdish blood while he speaks cynically of human rights in other countries. But it also highlights the hypocrisy of an "international community" that is shocked by the repression in Syria, while it assists the silent slaughter of the Kurdish people. The Kurdish people are now mobilized to define their political project of liberation and to resist the four States which occupy them and oppress them (Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq). The slightest sense of decency and humanity should impel us to show solidarity with them. [Castellano] [Français] [العربية]

textLetter From anarchist prisoner Feb 12 by Volkan Sevinç 0 comments

The guards have brought your letters when I was in the open-air-area. The guard gave the letters which are full of love and comrades’ salutes. “There are so many letters that our eyes hurt when reading them all.” he said jokingly. I said, “I am a political prisoner, it seems like you will get tired of the letters I receive.”

textThe Kurdish Question Dec 13 by Michael Schmidt & Lucien van der Walt 3 comments

This study of recent anti-imperialist resistance in Kurdistan, looking back to the anarchist resistance in the Ottoman heartland in the period before the formation of the Turkish state, consists of extracts – kindly proof-read in part by Will Firth – from the forthcoming book by Schmidt & van der Walt, Global Fire: 150 Fighting Years of International Anarchism & Syndicalism, Counter-power Vol.2, AK Press, USA, scheduled for release in about 2011.

textThe national army and the exemption papers Jan 22 by OAE (Press Office) 0 comments

The initial title of this statement was “For the national army and exemption papers (I5) from it”

more >>

imageYPG: We have no connection to the Ankara bombing. Turkey prepares the ground to attack Rojava Feb 19 2 comments

The General Command of the People's Defence Units (YPG) has released a statement in response to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu who blamed the YPG for yesterday's attack in the heart of Turkish capital Ankara which left 28 people dead and 64 others wounded.

textOn the explosions in London Jul 21 0 comments

Statement of Federation of Anarchists of Greece (OAE) on the terrorist attacks in London, agreed in its 8th General Assemply.

textTarhan hunger strike ended Jun 23 0 comments

From Athens Indymedia

textOADE on nationalist parades May 18 OADE - Greece 0 comments

Leaflet distributed by OADE this 25th of March against the nationalistic ghosts of the Great Greece

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